It’s wasn’t pretty, but the Senate finally voted 56-43 Thursday to pass the “fix-it” bill to the new health care reform law.

The main bill already was signed into law earlier this week, but a package of changes that were come up with in recent weeks of negotiations still has to be approved.

Senate Republicans tried for two days to weigh down with amendments and slow its march to President Obama’s desk.

Dozens of GOP-sponsored amendments failed, but the Republicans did manage to draw out another round of voting.

A challenge about a provision about college Pell grants — yes, student loans ended up in the final plan – was enough to change the bill before the Senate and kicked it back to the House where it last came up Sunday night. The House took it up later Thursday night, voting 220-207, to send the final piece of health care reform to Obama. As in the main bill, North Carolina Democratic Reps. Mike McIntyre, Larry Kissell and Health Shuler voted no.

Not surprisingly, North Carolina’s senators split along party lines on their vote. Only three Democrats broke ranks against the reconciliation bill, although all of them voted for the main health care reform bill when it passed the Senate on Christmas Eve.

Sen. Kay Hagan, D-N.C., called the Republican delays frustrating.

“I think you’re seeing amendment after amendment. None of them have passed to change the bill,” she said this morning, speaking in between votes to North Carolina reporters on a conference call. “When many – I’d say most of them — are bringing forward sort of a political ax to grind, it’s just prolonging the process. It’s just delay, delay, delay.”

Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., said the issues Republicans brought up in the debate likely will reappear in the future.

“This is what happens when you rush to draft a bill, don’t give people time to review it, and attempt to ram it through Congress,” he said in a statement today. “I fully expect many of the amendments rejected by Senate Democrats this week will return to the floor as stand-alone bills over the coming months, as Congressional leaders and the Administration ‘discover’ the need for still more fixes.”

Here are some areas, according to Hagan’s office, the new health care law will impact in North Carolina:

112,000 North Carolina small businesses are eligible for a small business tax credit to make premiums more affordable, giving them the ability to offer insurance to their workers;

951,000 North Carolinians qualify for tax credits to help them purchase insurance;

247,000 North Carolina seniors who hit the prescription drug “donut hole” will receive a $250 check this year, and the gap will be completely closed by 2020;

1.4 million North Carolina Medicare beneficiaries will now have annual wellness visits and no cost-sharing for prevention services;

876,869 North Carolina young adults up to age 26 will be able to stay on their parents’ insurance plans

I am a natural born American citizen however, I lived in Norway for more than 13 years. I decided to move to Norway, my husbands homeland, when he passed away from cancer in 1988.

My husband lost his battle with cancer January 24th, 1988. He left behind me and our two young, 5 and 7 year old, daughters. He had prepared for just such an event with a life insurance policy valued at $150,000.00. It was about three weeks after his funeral that the medical bills started arriving. Please keep in mind that we had excellent health insurance coverage when digesting our experience the health care system in this Country.

My husband was diagnosed with bladder cancer in January 1987. Biopsies were taken and then came the devastating news. We were told that we had two options, one would be to undergo chemotherapy treatments, the other was to remove his bladder and undergo chemo. The latter was recommended. We sought a second opinion with the same conclusion. After crying, disbelief and armed with the knowledge of our future we marched forward with option 2.

Surgery was performed and my husband started down a year-long road to recovery. My husband suffered for months, but near the 7 month mark after surgery we saw a light at the end of the tunnel. He had completed his chemo treatments and we received wonderful news that he was in remission. Then, two months later we were told that his cancer had returned and it had spread.

January 24th 1988 we buried my husband. Two weeks later the medical bills started arriving. Within 60 days I had bills piled on the kitchen table totaling $182,000.00. I realized that I had to take a proactive approach, do my research and go through each and every bill with a fine tooth comb. Even though our insurance company paid 80% the hospital, doctors and outside vendors found it necessary to double bill and bill for services and devices not administered. My findings were eye-opening and I hired an attorney.

My attorney found $113,000.00 worth of medical billing abuse, we settled and I paid the balance due.

Although we had excellent medical coverage, The $600 a month in medical insurance premiums for myself and my girls was draining our savings. In addition, when the extended coverage terminated after 8 months, I wouldn’t qualify for new insurance because my girls were considered high risk because their Dad died of cancer. So, I called our family in Norway and started the ball rolling to move to my husbands homeland.

The transition was difficult, but with the help of our Norwegian family we found a nice little apartment, learned the language and settled into a new life. After the first year we felt like we belonged, but more importantly we felt secure and very safe. I didn’t have to worry about finding the resources to pay for health care for my girls, in Norway health care is a right and for 13 years we received excellent care.

In 2002 my girls moved to Trondheim, Norway to attend the University, which by the way is also a right, and I decided to return home to the US. With some anxiety I arrived in North Carolina to begin a new chapter of my life. I immediately contacted BCBS to take out health insurance and reality hit like a brick. My monthly premium would be $450.00 and would not cover anything but office visits for a year even though I had been covered continuously for 13 years. It’s now 2010, I’m 61 and working full time because I cannot afford health insurance on my own. Prior to beginning my full time job last October, my premiums were $650 a month, for just me!

I feel very fortunate both because I have a job and health insurance, but I felt sad for so many millions of folks who didn’t. Today I am very optimistic that the United States of America is transitioning into a Country which cares for its citizens no matter who they are. Health care should be a right and now it will be.

It’s time that we as Americans come together and take care of all of our citizens, not just those who have! It’s time for us to transition from a ME first culture to a WE culture or, I fear we will loose our way. America sits in 37th place when it comes to health care, and we’re even lower when it comes to education. These statistics should scare us into action!

About This Blog

We will do our best to help you plow through the confusing maze of health care and, along the way, sprinkle in some fitness ideas and ideas. We’ll also share interesting discoveries in health and medicine.